Sir,

As you have now Joined me agreeable to the Request of the Honorable Commissioners at Paris, I Now desire you would not part or Separate on any consideration from the Squadron, if in your power to prevent it Unless we should be Chased by a Vessel of Superior Force & it should be Necessary so to do for our own preservation, in that case you must make use ofyour own direction & do every thing in your power to avoid being taken ー If any Accident should happen that obliges us to part before the Expiration of this Cruize, you may continue your Cruize through the Irish Channel or to the North West of Ireland, as you may Judge Safest and best, untill you Arrive off the Isles Orkney, and there Cruize 5 or 6 Days for the. F}eet to Come up & Join you. If they do not appear in that time, You may make the best of your Way back for Bilboa or St Sebastian & there Refit as fast as possible for Another Cruize, informing the Honourable Commissioners of your Safe Arrival and the Success of your Cruize, with all the Material information that you get on this Cruize, but if you should Part from the Squadron and take such a Number of Prizes, as may Render it Necessary to Return in to Port, in that Case, you may run directly into Bilboa or St Sebastians with your Prizes or into any other Spanish or French Port, that is most Convenient, informing the Honble Commissioners as Above Directed on your Arrival;

You must take all the Prisoners out of every Prize & Man her with your Own People, sending a Certificate with the Commanding Officer, on board the Prize, of the Lattitude & Longitude you took her in, which must not be Produced only in Case of Neccessity. The Prize Master must not Report or Enter her as Prize, but as An American Vessel from a port that will be most likely to gain Credit according to the Cargo, she may have on board, to the Address of one or either of Merchants whose Names are hereafter mentioned; be Very Attentive to your Signals, and if you should be taken, you must take Care to destroy them, and not let the Captures [captors] get possession of them, as it may be of great prejudice to the Rest of the Squadron. Take care to have all the Prisoners properly Secured to prevent their Riseing & taking your Vessel, & if you meet a Dutch, French, Dean, Sweed, or Spanish Vessel when you have a Number of Prisoners on board, I think it would do well to put them on board any of those Vessels, giving as much provision and Water as wiU serve them into Port. If any of your Prizes should be chased, or in danger, they may Run into the first or most Convenient Port they Can Reach in France or Spain, prefering Bilboa, St Sebastians L'Orient or Nantz. If they go to Spain, they must go to the Address of Messrs Gordique & Sons, At Bilboa or St Sebastians, At L'Orient to Mr Gourlade & they must hoist an English Jack at the Main top-Gallant Mast head & Run into Port Louis, and there wait the Orders of Mr Gourlade, whom they must apply to, & At Nantz, they must apply to Thomas Morris Esqr. At any other Port in France or Spain they must Write by Post, to the Honble Commissioners at Parris, or to Thomas Morris Esqr at Nantz for Advice, whom to Apply to, and Value on to Sell the Vessel & Cargo,

If you take a Prize that you think worth Sending to America, you may dispatch her for Some of the Northern Ports in the Massechusets States, address'd to the Continental Agent at Any Port she may Arrive at ー when a Prize is Sold & the Prize Master and People is discharged, they must make the best of their Way for Nantz or Elsewhere, as they may be ordered to Join their respective Vessel, or in Case of their not Arriving they may Serve on board any other Continental Vessel they Can find, untill they Join their own Vessel or Arrive in America, on their Arrival in any Port in France or Spain, they must Apply to the Commanding Officer of Such Port for Protection of their Persons and Property as Subjects to the United States of America from [&c.]

To Samuel Nicholson Esqr
Commander of the Sloop Dolphin